Trust

OCT Section: The Ethical Standards for the Teaching Profession

Focus: Trust

OCT Expectations: “The ethical standard of Trust embodies fairness, openness and honestly.  Members’ professional relationships with students, colleagues, parents, guardians, and the public are based on trust (Ontario College of Teachers Foundations of Professional Practice, 2012, p.9).

Curated Materials: Supporting English Language Learners with Limited Prior Schooling: A practical Guide for Ontario Educators

Analysis/Reflection:

Definition of Trust

            Building positive relationships leads to a trusting connection between the teacher and student. “For some students, it is a challenge to trust any authority figure. Learners need an understanding teacher who sets clear boundaries, has high expectations for them, and believes in their ability to learn”(Supporting English Language Learners with Limited Prior Schooling, 2005, p. 17).  Considering students to be competent and active learners helps build a trusting relationship between the teacher and student.  English Language Learners may not be able to fully express themselves in English, but as educators we need to be cautious, fair and open in terms of trusting their abilities. We need to provide them with various opportunities to express their understanding and capabilities.

Why the Resource informs my understanding of the OCT standard Trust

            The artefact I have chosen is a Ontario Ministry of Education document titled Supporting English Language Learners with Limited Prior Schooling: A practical Guide for Ontario educators (2005).  This document emphasizes the importance of building trusting relationships with students who are learning English for the first time and have had limited prior schooling.  I’ve read many books about building trusting relationships with students but this was the first time that I found a document that talked about English Language Learners with limited prior school experience. It is really difficult to learn a new language but it is even more difficult to learn a new language and be exposed to a school environment for the first time.  Building that trusting relationship will help ease the anxiety, discomfort and mix of emotions that the student would be going through. This is further emphasized in the article, “Promoting achievement for ELLs with limited or interrupted formal education: a culturally responsive approach” (2015). This article talks about how English Language Learners with limited schooling might have been exposed to informal ways of learning; that is, learning that stems from the sociocultural practices of their families and communities, such as farming, trading, or artisan work” (DeCapua, A. et al, 2015, p. 49). Thus, it is important to trust student’s abilities and incorporate many different ways for students to show their thinking and learning.

Level of Reflection

            When as educators, we first meet students, we are not aware of the different circumstances that each student has gone through before entering our classroom.  Hence, I feel that it is really crucial to be open, honest and equitable when interacting with each and every student in the classroom.  By creating a trusting and supportive classroom environment, I will be able to promote classroom success for each student. I will need to collaborate with the student, their parents and other school personnel’s in order to provide effective instruction. 

  

References

DeCapua, A., & Marshall, H. W. (2015). Promoting achievement for ELLs with limited

or interrupted formal education: a culturally responsive approach. Principal Leadership, (6). 48.

Ontario College of teachers, Foundations of Professional Practice booklet. (2012).

Toronto. ON: Author.

Supporting English Language Learners with Limited Prior Schooling: A practical

Guide for Ontario educators.(2005). Retrieved November 24, 2015, from https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/manyroots/ELL_LPS.pdf